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Power Plays

Podcaster
Federal Communications Commission
Pentagon
Revolving Door
Washington, United States
Regulatory Capture
Federal Reserve
Chicago, United States
National Security Agency
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
Consent Decree
Environmental Protection Agency
Department Of Transportation
FDA
Boeing
Clean Air Act
Section 230
ACH Network
Continuity Of Government
Hurricane Katrina
Electronic Stability Control

Uncover the fascinating stories behind the political decisions that shape our world. Each episode takes you inside the rooms where power is wielded, revealing the human drama and strategic calculations that drive government action.

PublishesDailyEpisodes61Founded2 months ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Society & CultureGovernment

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Power Plays

Latest Episodes

Hundreds of American cities aren't actually governed by their mayors and city councils — they're governed by decades-old federal consent decrees negotiated in back rooms by lawyers most residents have never heard of. We trace how a legal mechanism de... more

The United States cannot build a single high-voltage transmission line across a state border without navigating a labyrinth of overlapping federal, state, and local permits — a process that now averages over a decade and costs more in legal fees than... more

Every paycheck, every direct deposit, every automatic mortgage payment in America flows through a system most people have never heard of — and that almost collapsed on a Tuesday in 2023. This week, we trace how the Automated Clearing House became too... more

FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program was designed to save homeowners from disaster — instead it became a $20 billion debt-ridden mechanism that subsidizes the wrong development in the wrong places while blocking the right kind everywhere else. The... more

The United States has spent decades drafting plans to modernize its electrical grid, yet transmission lines that engineers say could be built in three years routinely die in decade-long regulatory purgatory — not because of corrupt politicians or cor... more

Buried inside a 1974 federal law is a discount rate calculation that most elected officials have never read — and it's quietly determining whether millions of public workers will retire with what they were promised. This episode traces how actuarial ... more

When courts lose patience with governments that won't govern themselves, they stop asking nicely — they just take over. We trace the decades-long story of federal consent decrees, using Chicago as the case study for what happens when a city's police ... more

The Office of Technology Assessment was killed by Congress in 1995, but its absence haunts every tech policy disaster from social media regulation to AI governance. We explore how the deliberate destruction of government's technical expertise created... more

Key Facts

Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Recent Guests

Sarah Thompson
Treasury official who authored the memo
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Episode: The Memo That Killed a City
Kevin Orr
Emergency manager appointed to run Detroit's finances
Detroit Emergency Manager / City of Detroit
Episode: The Memo That Killed a City
James Morrison
Former Philadelphia official, Treasury advisor in the discussion
U.S. Treasury / City of Philadelphia (former)
Episode: The Memo That Killed a City
James Spiatto
Municipal bankruptcy attorney, author of a major treatise on Chapter 9
Spiatto & Associates (Chicago)
Episode: The Memo That Killed a City
Shanna Alexander
Writer for Life magazine who exposed the Seattle Kidney Program
Life magazine
Episode: The God Committee's Last Stand
Henry M. Jackson
Senator from Washington who led Senate hearings on allocation of scarce medical resources
U.S. Senate
Episode: The God Committee's Last Stand
Dr. Belding Scribner
Inventor of the artificial kidney and key physician linked to dialysis provision decisions
University/Medical community
Episode: The God Committee's Last Stand

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#228
India/Government

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Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per EpisodeGender SkewLocation
InterestsProfessionsAge Range
Household IncomeSocial Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Power Plays

What is Power Plays about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This program explores how power and policy are formed in practice, revealing the human stories, strategic decisions, and institutional dynamics behind government action. Across episodes, listeners get inside rooms where regulatory reforms, budgets, and political calculations take shape—covering topics from disaster governance and regulatory capture to zoning, public finance, and federal-state power struggles. The result is a gripping blend of investigative storytelling and analytical context, likely appealing to policy enthusiasts, lawyers, public servants, and journalists who want a deeper understanding of how decisions with wide-reaching consequences come together (and sometimes collide) in real time. A notable strength is the focus on th... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Power Plays?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Power Plays. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Power Plays and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Power Plays get?

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What are the audience demographics for Power Plays?

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How many subscribers and views does Power Plays have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Power Plays has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

How many episodes of Power Plays are there?

Power Plays launched 2 months ago and published 61 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Power Plays?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Power Plays?

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What guests have appeared on Power Plays?

Recent guests on Power Plays include:

1. Sarah Thompson
2. Kevin Orr
3. James Morrison
4. James Spiatto
5. Shanna Alexander
6. Henry M. Jackson
7. Dr. Belding Scribner

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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